Perhaps I May be of Assistance?
by bookwormcathy
Summary: Kevin cleared his throat and pretending to be a British snob said, "Perhaps I may be of assistance?" He held out his hand and bowed over it sarcastically before looking up with a smirk on his face. This playful side of Kevin was new to Edd and he couldn't help but giggle at the redhead. "Thank you very much, my good sir," Eddward said in his own fake British accent. Kevin grinned.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nor do i own Nat Goldberg, he belongs to C1ndy1c2d. **

**I want to thank everyone for reading my story! I hope you all like it and review. I love reading them, i literally *squee* with joy lol i'm suck a dork. =) **

Perhaps I may be of Assistance?

Chapter 1

Edd was beaming as he walked into school. He didn't notice the stares he was getting as he walked down the hall to his locker. The genius was totally oblivious to the fact that most of the girls, hell, even some of the guys, thought he was the cutest thing ever to exist. His aquamarine eyes simply glowed from the strength of his adorable gap-toothed smile, and the other students just couldn't help but watch him.

Double D hummed a tune to himself as he entered his combination for his locker and pulled it open. As he put away his coat and pulled out the books he would need for his first few classes, he noticed a shadow fall over him. He turned to see a familiar redhead walking up to him. Well not technically up to him, but to the locker stationed to the left of Edd's. Kevin's locker used to be on the 3rd floor of Peach Creek High School, but since most of his senior year classes were on the first floor, he asked for a new one and was given the only free locker on this floor; the one right next to Eddward.

Edd wasn't as nervous about this twist of fate as he would have been back in middle school. Kevin wasn't the bully he used to be back then; he was now a respectably behaved student, well, as acceptably behaved as a jock could be, Edd supposed. He was the star player on almost every sports team the school had and was also the most popular boy here. And the most handsome, in Edd's opinion, not that he'd ever admit it to anyone out loud. Edd couldn't help the little giggle that popped out even if he tried. The sound caused Kevin to look at him, and as emerald eyes met blue, Edd's heart fluttered.

"What's got you in such a peppy mood today, Double Dork?" Kevin asked in a gruff voice. There was a small scowl on his face as he stared at Edd's smile. Kevin didn't like the way his stomach fluttered whenever the genius looked at him. He never really noticed this weird reaction to the dork until the beginning of senior year when he got moved next to him. It was a weird feeling and it made Kevin uncomfortable so he tended to ignore the dweeb as much as possible, but that smile…how could anyone ignore that?

"W-What? Oh, it's just such a wonderful day today," Double D said as a becoming blush darkened his cheeks. He bit his lip in an attempted to control himself but it didn't work; his smile simply would not be contained. The sight of those white teeth biting into that red lip bothered Kevin so much that he slammed his locker harder than necessary, causing Edd to jump.

"It's crappy out. Early December slush making a mess out of everything! How the hell is that wonderful?" He said in distain. He glanced back at Edd to see that his smile had fallen some and he was fiddling with the hem of his shirt. Kevin felt bad about making him nervous but at least now he could focus without that smile distracting him.

"Yes, the weather is indeed deplorable, but that does not erase the opportunities for a wonderful day. For me, the day has great possibilities. My parents have promised that we would have a family dinner tonight. We have not had the chance to do this in a very long time. They are even picking me up from school this afternoon!" As Edd talked the joyful smile returned to his face. "I am very much looking forward to time with my parents. There are a lot of things I…Oh, dear I'm rambling on and on about things you did not ask to hear. Forgive me, Kevin."

Kevin couldn't help but chuckle at Edd speech. It was sweet that the dork was so happy about spending time with his parents. And his pink cheeks were really cute as he apologized. _Wait…sweet? Cute? What the hell is wrong with me? I shouldn't be thinking about Double D like that._ He shook his head and cleared his throat before saying, "No problem, Dude. It's cool. I gotta go. Good luck with your parents."

Edd watched Kevin walk away feeling even happier than he had earlier_. Kevin wished me good luck! How nice! _As he was staring after Kevin in a slight daze his best friends Ed and Eddy walked up to him arguing over some new scam Eddy came up with. Eddy tried to get Double D's attention a few times, but when it didn't work he looked to Ed who proceeded to pick Eddward up and shake him until his teeth rattled before he set him down yelling, "Wakey wakey, Eggs and Bakey, Double D!"

"Oh, dear! I am quite awake now, Ed, thank you." Edd reached up to fix his hat as he tried to regain his composure after being shaken so hard. Ed just laughed uproaringly. Eddy rolled his eyes but couldn't help laughing at the seasick look on his friend's face. Soon all three of them were laughing. The students walking by just shook their heads, they were used to the Ed's and their antics. The three minute bell rang and everyone left to go to their separate classes. Edd headed to his first period AP English class.

* * *

The day seemed to go by fast to the excited teen. Before he knew it he was in the cafeteria with his friends. Ed was making a huge mess trying to build a mash potato monster in the middle of his tray. His fierce look of concentration, complete with his tongue sticking out, was enough to make the usually shy Edd laugh in animated delight.

"What's with you, sockhead? Why are you so cheerful?" Eddy said in disgust. "You haven't even heard my idea for a new scam."

"I'm simply having a good day, Eddy. And tonight I'm having dinner with my parents!" Double D was beaming again. Eddy just rolled his eyes and smiled. Then he reached his arm around Ed's broad back to tap him on the opposite shoulder to get him to look that way. It worked. When Ed turned to see what happened, Eddy grabbed his tray of food and hid it under the table. The confused boy looked around for a minute then turned back to his potato monster, only to find it missing.

"Oh no! Did you guys see what happened to Mash-zilla?! Did he come to life and run away to terrorize the village?!" Ed yelled climbing onto the table to get a better view of the lunch room to search for his creation. "Come back and I will get some gravy for you to swim in," the boy yelled waving his arms frantically, flinging the excess potatoes in every direction. Eddy was laughing so hard there were tears falling from his eyes while Edd trying to protect himself from the falling mashed potatoes.

The scene drew the eyes of everyone else in the lunch room, of course. Most people chose to ignore the Ed's craziness and go back to eating, while others watched and laughed. Normally Kevin would be one to just ignore them but his eyes were drawn to Double D who was trying to scold Eddy and Ed, all the while fighting laughter himself. The dork was just so cute.

"Damn, he's too cute," a voice next to him said.

Kevin turned to look at his best friend Nat. Nathan Goldberg was a weird combination of jock, punk, and metro sexual. Nat was very peculiar about his green spiked hair and he always matched his earrings and eyebrow piercing to his outfit. But the guy could play sports with the best of them. He was new to the school this year, having transferred when his parents moved to Peach Creek for work. After a few flirtation attempts from Nat and a firm rebuff from Kevin, the two became quick friends. Having a bisexual best friend was no problem for Kevin, and his acceptance of it made the other jocks feel obligated to tolerate it as well.

"The little guy in the beanie, what's his name?" Nat asked without taking his eyes off of Edd. Kevin frowned, not liking the attention his friend was giving to his locker neighbor. Nat turned to Kevin when he didn't get an answer, noticing not only the frown but the fact that Kevin couldn't take his eyes off the little cutie either. _Hmm_, Nat thought, _this is interesting._ "Earth to Kev! I asked the name of the sexy little nerd over there." He grinned when Kevin finally looked at him, his frown deepening into a full blown glower.

"Don't talk about him like that. His name is Double D," Kevin said grumpily.

"What kinda name is Double D?"

"Eddward. With two D's. The idiot on the table is Ed with one D and the other idiot is Eddy," Kevin explained looking back at the table of Eds. Edd had finally managed to get the big lug off the table and was trying to comfort his friend, while Eddy continued laughing. "Everyone's been calling him Double D since we were kids so there wouldn't be any confusion."

"Ahh, I see. It must be cool to have friends with the same name as you do," Nat said. Kevin just shrugged and forced himself to go back to eating lunch. Nat smiled and decided to let it go for now. He was pretty sure Edd was in their history class, the only advanced class he and Kevin had, and Nat was gonna do some investigating. _Yay! Fun times ahead!_ He thought wiggling his eyebrows up and down.

* * *

The rest if the school day passes by just as fast as the morning and finally, it was 3:00 P.M. and school was let out. Edd sighed in anticipation. He had been looking forward to this dinner with Mother and Father since they promised him a month ago. They never seemed to have time for family dinners; in fact the last one was more than a year ago. Edd knew his parents worked hard and he appreciated it, but he longed to have the same family relationship his friends had.

Edd put the books he didn't need over the weekend in his locker and took out the ones he did. He put those in his messenger bag and then hung the bag over his locker door so he could don his winter coat. As he was struggling to get his arm into the sleeve, the darn thing kept evading his grasp, Kevin strolled up to his locker chuckling at his neighbor's failed attempts.

"Here, wamme help ya wi' that?" Kevin asked grinning at Double D. Edd's cheery smile was currently replaced by a frustrated pout that was just as cute. Kevin couldn't help snickering again.

"What kind of grammar was that?" The frustrated genius asked, slightly out of breath. He didn't mean to snap at Kevin but his irritation at his coat got the better of him. Luckily the jock wasn't offended.

"Fine then, how's this?" Kevin cleared his throat and squared his shoulders, pretending to be a British snob saying, "Perhaps I may be of assistance?" He held out his hand and bowed over it sarcastically before looking up with a smirk on his face.

This playful side of Kevin was new to Edd. He was used to Kevin being gruff with him or just flat out ignoring him. He liked this playful Kevin even more. Edd couldn't help but giggle at the redhead. The jock was still waiting for an answer, so Edd nodded and turned so Kevin could grab the empty sleeve and hold it out for Double D to put his arm through.

"Thank you very much, my good sir," Eddward said in his own fake British accent. He grinned as Kevin snorted. "Are you off to basket ball practice?" He asked in his own voice, not wanting the moment to end.

"Yeah," Kevin said opening his own locker and shoving his books into it haphazardly. Edd cringed at the mistreatment of school property but said nothing. "I actually gotta get going or I'll be late. See ya around, Double Dweeb. Have fun at your dinner." He walked away with wave over his shoulder.

Edd sighed at the name but knew it was probably just habit and not malice that made Kevin say things like that to him. Edd supposed he would just have to live with it. He smiled, happy that he and Kevin seemed to be developing some kind of friendship between them. Today really was a good day!

Edd walked out the front doors to wait for his parents, his sweet gap-tooth smile causing his face to glow.

* * *

Almost two hours later, Kevin's basketball practice was over and he showered quickly, eager to get home. He was starving. He batted away Nat's attempt at a goodbye smooch and headed out the front doors. It wasn't until he got to the gate leading to the parking lot that he noticed the small shape huddled on a bench by the curb. It looked like Double D. Kevin frowned as he walked up to check.

Eddward blew on his fingers, trying to keep warm. He was shivering so hard he wondered how he hadn't vibrated right off the bench. His parents were late. But they were coming, he was sure they were. They promised after all. He puffed some more warm breath on his hands again.

"Double D? What are you doing here?" Kevin all but growled at the dork making him jump in fright.

"K-K-Kev-Kevin. Hello. I-I-I'm waiting f-for my parents. They seem t-to b-b-be running a bit l-l-late," stuttered the teen. His lips had taken on a bluish tint and he nearly bit his tongue off because of his badly chattering teeth.

"A bit late?! You've been sitting here for two hours in the freezing cold! Are you crazy?"

"P-p-please, K-Kevin. I'm p-perfectly f-fine," Edd said trying to be brave. His parents would be here, he had to believe they would.

"Double D, come on. I don't think they're coming. Let me give you a ride home before you get sick," Kevin begged. He didn't like the purplish look to smaller teen's skin…or the tears in his eyes. When Double D shook his head with a sniffle, Kevin sat down next to him. He took off his scarf and wrapped it around Edd's neck, then put his own gloves on Edd's hands. The dork looked up at the jock, eyes shining with unshed tears and gratitude. "Have you tried to call 'em?"

"Y-y-yes. T-there was n-n-no answer. I-I was g-going to try ag-again but m-my phone d-died," Edd stammered out. He fought those tears with everything he had. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be crying, it was just that he worried they would freeze on his face and lower his body's temperature even more. "They will come, I know they will," he said more to reassure himself than Kevin.

"Edd," Kevin said in a soft voice that surprised him; almost as much as the fingers on his chin that gently turned his face to look at the redhead. "If they were coming, they wouldda been here by now. Come on, I'll give ya a ride. I know I'm not your parents, but you could have dinner with me, if you wanna. Wat-da-ya say?"

Edd stared at Kevin in astonishment. _He wants to have dinner with me? Really? _Kevin raised an eyebrow at him as he waited for an answer. He knew the dork was shocked, he was a little shocked himself but he couldn't deny the appeal of having dinner with the smaller boy. He smiled encouragingly.

Edd looked into those emerald eyes and whispered one word. "Okay."


	2. Chapter 2

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nor do i own Nat Goldberg, he belongs to C2ndy2c1d**

**I want to thank everyone for reading my story! I hope you all like it and review. I love reading them, i literally *squee* with joy lol i'm suck a dork. =)**

Perhaps I may be of Assistance?

Chapter 2

Kevin led the half-frozen dork to his mother's car waiting in the parking lot. He drove the car during the winter months because there was no way he was risking his motorcycle, his baby, on the slick, snow covered roads. His mom didn't mind hitching a ride with his dad anyway. He unlocked the doors and helped Double D get inside. After he got in the driver's seat and started the car, he took off his coat and wrapped it around the still shivering Edd.

"K-K-K-Kevin! What on e-earth are y-you d-d-doing?! Y-y-you'll f-freeze!"

"Calm down, dork. I'm tryin' to get you warm. It'll still be a bit 'til the car's warmed up enough for the heater to do any good," Kevin explained. His mom's car was pretty old so he had to rev the engine a few times to help it along. "Don't worry about me; I'm still pretty warm from practice."

When the car had sufficiently warmed up, Kevin turned to fiddle with the heater; it took a minute because he never really used it, he'd always been warm enough in his jacket. As he was adjusting it, he simultaneously heard a tap on the window and a squeak of fear from the boy next to him. He turned to see what the source of the tapping was and saw Nat peeking in the passenger window leering at the startled genius.

"Whaddya want, Nat?" Kevin yelled through the window, leaning closer to Edd's side of the car. Double D was already blushing slightly from a combined embarrassment over the squeaky sound he made and the strange look the green haired boy was giving him, but the color on his face deepened to a bright red when Kevin leaned into him to talk to his friend. Kevin's friend, Nat, seemed to notice his discomfort, if the grin on his face was any indication. Edd wasn't quite sure what to think of it.

Nat pulled his attention off the blushing cutie huddled up in two coats when Kevin called his name a second time. Kevin clearly didn't want to be interrupted, not that Nat blamed him; he'd be pretty pissed if someone butted in if he had that sexy dork all to himself. Of course, that knowledge just made Nat want to impose himself on them even more. He moved to the back door and climbed in uninvited before saying, "I can't go home cuz no one's there and I forgot my key. You wouldn't mind me hangin' out at your place 'til my mom gets home, would ya?"

Kevin stifled a curse as he glanced at Double D. He was seriously considering telling his best friend to take a hike when Nat said, "Come on, Kev! You not really gonna let me turn into a Nat-sicle, are ya? Blue skin would totally clash with my hair, man." He pouted as Kevin glared at him. Kevin sighed and rolled his eyes at the same time. His best friend could be a really idiot sometimes. But he knew he couldn't make him wait in this weather, just look what happened to Double D.

"Fine, dude. But you're buyin' our dinner," Kevin said as he shifted the car into drive and headed out of the parking lot. He took at quick look at Edd and was glad to see his shivering had lessened some. When he saw Edd take a peek at the stranger in the back seat, he remembered that he hadn't introduced the two of them yet. "Double Dweeb, this is the Green Loon. Loon, Dweeb." He couldn't help but laugh at the affronted looks he received from them both.

"Ughhh, you're such a jerk, Kevin. What kinda intro was that?" Nat grumbled. He rolled his eyes before turning to look at Edd. "My name's Nathan "Kedd" Goldberg. Badass Extraordinaire! But you can call me Nat. What's your name, Sweet-cheeks?" He winked at the dork and Kevin growled at him in the rear-view mirror.

"N-n-nice to meet you, N-Nathan. M-m-my name i-is Eddward," Edd pulled the jacket away from his face a little in order to introduce himself properly. He was a bit embarrassed because he couldn't stop stuttering but there wasn't really anything he could do about it until he warmed up all the way. He was definitely more comfortable thanks to the body heat that had been trapped in Kevin's jacket when he wrapped it around him.

"Ahhh! You're the kid Kevin called Double D, right? I wasn't so sure who it was all bundled up under there," Nat teased with a wiggle of his brows. He thought the self-deprecating little smile on the shivering teen was super cute. _Who wouldda thought a tooth gap could be so friggin' adorable! _Nat thought with glee!

"Nat, leave him alone. What should we get to eat?" Kevin grumbled.

"How 'bout some Sexy Cheeseburgers!?" Nat said while doing a strange sitting-down-jig in the backseat. He added a quiet chant of "sexy cheeseburgers" and hand motions to his dance. Edd watched the odd boy for a bit, he was slightly appalled by the behavior but at the same time he couldn't help but admire Nat's lack of reserve. He obviously didn't care what other's thought of him, content with who he was; Edd wished he could be more like that.

Kevin snickered at the look on Double D's face as he watched Nat before he asked Edd if he was ok with burgers. The dweeb bit his lip as he debated the pros and cons of eating such unhealthy food or perhaps inadvertently insulting the others in the car by refusing. Eventually he nodded his head, saying that he was okay with the choice because it was simply easier to go with the flow. Nat let out a "whoop!" from the backseat; making Edd jump again.

They stopped at a drive through and placed their orders. Nat grumbled at having to pay for it all but shut up when Kevin told him it was that or walking his butt home in the snow. Edd felt bad about it but he was far too comfortable wrapped in the coats to want to try and find his wallet. He promised himself to payback the green-haired boy later.

"How ya doin', Double Dork?" Kevin asked as he pulled into his driveway. "Ya warmin' up?"

"Yes, thank you." Edd said; proud that he managed to get it out without his teeth chattering. He was still shivering a fair bit but it was nowhere near as bad as a few minutes ago. Kevin nodded; glad that some normal color was returning to the small teen's cheeks. Edd tried to hand him his coat back but Kevin shook his head.

"Keep it for now. I'll start a fire in the house and you can sit in front of it to warm up the rest of the way. You can give it back then." He got out of the car without waiting for a reply and led the way into his house. He started a fire in the living room's fireplace and motioned for his guests to sit on the couch there.

"So, what happened that you're so cold, Double Delicious?" Nat asked as he plopped down on the couch and passed out the food. Kevin glared at him and Edd stared at the floor blushing at the strange twist on his nickname.

"None of your business," Kevin snarled. "Just shut up and eat."

"Its fine, Kevin," Edd said quietly. "It was just a slight misunderstanding and time mix up, that's all." He explained to Nat, while Kevin frowned at him. He smiled slightly at the two jocks before venturing a bite of his meal. He was surprised at how much better he began to feel as the warm food hit his stomach; so he began to eat in earnest, allowing the others to discuss whatever topics interested them.

Kevin stole peeks at Edd every few minutes. He looked a lot better than before. He sat there, delicately eating his food and listening instead of joining in on the discussion. But then, Edd had always been the quiet, shy one; until, that was, you got him talking about some science stuff or something; then he never seemed to shut up. Kevin smiled at the thought, not noticing he let his end of the chat hanging.

"Well?" Nat said, gaining Kevin's attention again. Kevin scratched the back of his neck when he realized he hadn't heard what was asked. Nat grinned at him knowingly, making Kevin shove him a bit until he repeated the question. "The video game tournament? With the jerks over at Lemon Brook? Did you figure out somewhere to hold it?"

"Oh! Uh, no, I haven't…"

"If I may ask, how large a space would you need for this tournament?'' Eddward asked, speaking for the first time in awhile. He finished his food and was folding his wrappers into neat little squares. Both Kevin and Nat watched him do this as if caught in a strange sort of trance. They didn't speak until he was finished and looked up at the two of them, waiting for an answer.

"Oh, um, pretty big, I guess," Kevin said. "There's gonna be at least fifteen or sixteen of us playing. Ya know, half from our school and half from theirs. Plus, probably some people watching…and we need some TV's so we can plug in the games. It's gonna be interesting since it's an untested game. One of their guys' brothers designed it in animation school. So, yeah…it's gonna need to be a pretty big space."

"May I suggest the school's library? It's very large and has several television terminals you could use in the back," Edd said after some thought. "The only thing you would need is permission from the Principal to hold it there and a member of the Library Club to supervise if the tournament is held after school hours."

"That's a great idea, Double Dexterous! But where would we find a member of the Library Club? I didn't even know we had a Library Club," Nat said before he took a huge bite of his second cheeseburger. When he smiled at Edd with pieces of said burger sticking through his teeth, Edd was glad he hadn't taken that bite before he spoke.

Kevin shook his head at his friend before turning to the genius. "Would you be willing to supervise, Double D? It might last pretty late into the night."

"I would not mind at all, Kevin. It's the least I can do after all your help today." Edd smiled a sweet, grateful smile at Kevin. "I could always get some studying done while I'm there."

Kevin's breath caught at the sight of that little gap-toothed smile. He couldn't look away for the life of him, nor could he bring himself to say anything. He was captivated. Nat seemed to sense his inability to answer and took pity on him; giving him a nudge. It jolted him back to his senses. "Thanks. That'd be great, yeah…," Kevin had to clear his throat before he could continue. _What is wrong with me?_ "Um, I'm not sure how much studying you'd be able to do over the noise, though."

Edd laughed. "If I can study with all the noise Ed and Eddy make, I'm sure I can get some work done there." Kevin grinned knowing he was probably right.

"Awesome! Now all we need to do is come up with when to have it!" Nat enthused. They spent the next few minutes hashing out a good day and settled on the next Friday night since there wasn't a basketball game scheduled that night. They agreed to go speak with the Principal first thing Monday morning. Right after that decision was made, Nat's mother called, wanting him home. Kevin walked Double D across the street to his own house before leaving to drive Nat home.

The jocks waved from the car before it disappeared down the road. It wasn't until then that Double D realized he still had on Kevin's jacket. He smiled, thinking that he'd get to see him tomorrow so he could return it. He pulled it closer to his face and inhaled the musky scent of Kevin, deciding to wear it a little while longer. _To keep warm, of course._ He walked upstairs and smiled in anticipation of the coming day.


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nor do i own Nat Goldberg, he belongs to C1ndy1c2d. **

**I want to thank everyone for reading my story! I hope you all like it and review. I love reading them, i literally *squee* with joy lol i'm suck a dork. =) **

Chapter 3

Edd had intended to give Kevin his coat back the next morning, really he did. But the two hours in spent in the cold air caused him to contract one mighty cold. He spent most of the weekend in bed. By the time Monday morning rolled around he was only half better. His fever was gone but his nose was still raw and running. He was miserable but nothing short of losing a limb that would keep him from school. So off he went, making sure to bring Kevin's jacket along.

Once he got there, he found Kevin and Nat standing by his locker. They were busy talking so he didn't want to interrupt them, but his nose betrayed him. After he gave a loud sneeze into his tissue, he looked up to find he had both their attention. He smiled weakly saying a quite, "Salutations, gentlemen."

"Damn, Double Dude, you look like crap," Nat said, examining the bright red nose and watery eyes on the small teen. "Guess ya caught a cold, huh?"

"Yes, unfortunately I did." Sighed Eddward as he opened his locker. "Oh, Kevin, I forgot to return your jacket on Friday night. I meant to give it to you on Saturday but I was feeling too poorly to leave my house. I hope you can forgive my absent mind."

"No problem, dork," Kevin said as he took the jacket from Double D and shoved it in his locker. "Hey you haven't forgotten about talking to the Principal about the tournament, have ya?"

"No, I haven't forgotten what we planned, Kevin. If you would just give me a moment to collect my books, I'll be right with you." Eddward quickly swapped his coat and bag for his morning books and shut his locker. After checking to make sure he had at least two travel packets of tissues, he was all set to go. The three boys turned to head down the hall to the office but before they could take more than a few steps, Edd was being lifted off the floor and swung around a few times by his large, jovial pal Ed.

"DOUBLE DEEEE! IT'S BEEN SO LONG SINCE I'VE SEEN YOUR SQUISHY FACE!" Ed screamed loudly before putting the dizzy boy back down. Poor Edd, his head already slightly fuzzy from his cold, was now extremely off balance and would have fallen if not for Kevin's quick reflexes.

"Dork!" Kevin growled at Ed as he caught Double D. There was soft, questioning echo of ''dork?" from Ed before Kevin went on to yell some more. "What the heck do ya think you're doing? Can't you see he's sick? Idiots," he mumbled to Nat who watched the whole thing with his mouth slightly gaping. He set Edd back on his feet, making sure he wasn't going to fall again before he looked back at the source of his irritation.

Ed was inspecting his friend's face closely. So closely that he was near enough to kiss the smaller boy if he was so inclined. Both Kevin and Nat made faces at the picture that thought brought to mind; neither liking the idea of someone kissing Edd. Kevin was just about to yell at him again when Eddy walked joined the group.

"Hey, sockhead! A bit soon for the Rudolph look, don't you think," Eddy snickered.

"Rudolph! That's it! I knew you reminded me of somebody," Ed shouted joyously. "But you forgot the antlers, Double D. But don't you worry none; Ed can take care of that." He reached deep into his pockets and pulled out a handful of weird things: a rubber chicken, two rolled up alien comic books, $1.73 in loose change, half a cupcake, a yo-yo and finally an antler headband with jingle bells attached. He grabbed the antlers and shoved the rest back in his pocket. Then he gently placed the headband over Double D's beanie, adjusting it to his satisfaction before stepping back with a happy smile on his face.

Kevin, Nat and Eddy stared at the red-nosed teen in the antler headband for a solid 60 seconds before bursting out in hysterical laughter. Ed joined in, unable to not laugh while others were having such a good time. Eddward blushed in embarrassment but didn't want to remove the gift and hurt his simple friend's feelings. After a few minutes it didn't seem like the laughter was going to end anytime soon, so Edd simply turned around and walked away. Nat and Kevin recovered first and ran to catch up with him.

"Aww, come on, man, don't be mad." Nat begged as he draped his arm around Edd's shoulders. "We weren't making fun of you. It's just that you're so dang cute with the little red nose and antlers, like a little Double Darling!" He grinned at the look of doubt the genius sent his way and then grinned even bigger when he caught sight of the glare Kevin was sending him.

When Double D didn't respond, Kevin nudged his shoulder a bit, trying to both lighten him up and effectively remove Nat's arm at the same time. "Look, dude, we're sorry for laughing, but ya gotta admit, it's pretty funny." He smiled appealingly at him.

Edd sighed, silently acknowledging that it would probably be amusing if it were happening to someone else; so he couldn't really blame them for laughing. Besides he figured he better get used to it considering how many other students were giggling at him right now and he knew he couldn't remove the headband until the day was over or his well-meaning friend would be highly upset.

"Alright, I'll forgive you," Eddward said as they entered the school's main office. They had approximately fifteen minutes before classes start. He hoped they would be able to convince Mr. Maddox, the Principal, to allow them to host the video game tournament in the library this Friday.

The meeting took twenty-five minutes. They had to hash-out a few ground rules, like sign in sheets, codes of behavior and the latest time the students could remain at the school after hours. Normally, Mr. Maddox told them, they would have had to schedule something like this months in advance; but fortunately for them, Mr. Maddox was a big fan of Kevin's athletic ability and Eddward's academic achievements so he was willing to make an exception for them.

"Well, boys, I'll be rooting for you to give our school another win, even if it is in video games." Mr. Maddox said as he signed late passes for them to get to class. He laughed at his joke and shook their hands. He said he would put together a list of everything that they would need done by the end of the day and one of them could come pick it up then. Edd agreed to retrieve the list after his last class.

"This is so awesome!" Nat enthused as they left the office and walked down the main hall.

"Yeah, dude, its rad. I have to admit I was expecting more trouble than that," Kevin said. "Probably would have got more if we didn't have our trusty nerd along for the ride." Kevin grinned at Edd. The three of them laughed as they came to a stop in front of Double D's classroom door. They said their "see ya laters" and went their separate ways. All three of them were smiling.

* * *

At lunch, Eddy confronted Double D, wanting to know what he was doing with "shovel chin and the green-haired wacko." Edd tried to explain that he was helping them out with a competition that would be held in the library. Eddy wasn't buying it.

"Come on, sockhead, can't you see what's goin' on?" Eddy demanded. "When has he ever been nice to us? I'm telling ya, he's setting you up for something." He angrily gestured from Edd to Kevin using a French fry to emphasize his point. He went on to describe various scenarios that Edd could find himself in if he trusted their childhood bully. After a few minutes Double D stopped trying to dissuade his friend's ramblings and after a few minutes more he just stopped listening completely.

He wasn't concerned that Kevin might be trying to play a trick on him. Eddward had learned a long time ago to follow his gut reactions, and his gut said he could trust the red headed jock. _The jury is still out on how to react to his strange friend, Nathan though. _Edd thought with a giggle. He glanced across the lunch room to the table where the pair sat with their team mates and noticed said boy was looking at him. He blushed and looked away quickly when Nat winked at him.

The bell rang indicating that lunch was over and it was time to get to class. Eddward smiled, happy to be getting back to what he loved most: learning!

* * *

"Well, Eddward, is there anything else you needed?" Mr. Maddox asked handing Edd the paperwork on the regulations for Friday's event.

"No, sir, I believe this is all I need. If we have any questions, we will be sure to come to you immediately," Edd reassured him. They shook hands and Edd left to go to his locker. He was busy looking over the notes and didn't notice the person standing in front of him until he crashed into her. They both fell to the floor; books and papers flying everywhere.

"Oh, dear, I am so terribly sorry," he apologized scrambling to help get their things in order. He looked up when he heard a feminine giggle. Nazz was smiling at him, sprawled on the floor where he crashed into her. She laughed even harder at the perplexed look on his face.

"It's okay, dude. No biggie." Nazz said, getting up to help him put their stuff together. She was handing him the paper from the principal when Kevin walked up to see what was going on. Double D blushed; turning an even deeper red, wishing he could pull his hat down over his face. He would have if he didn't have his hands full.

"What the hell happened here?" Kevin asked, stooping down to help out as well.

"Not much, Kev. We were just testing to make sure gravity still worked, right Double D?" Nazz joked winking at him. Edd couldn't help the giggle that escaped him. He sent her a grateful smile for saving him embarrassment. She smiled back warmly. Nazz had always been kind to him.

"Okay…" Kevin said giving them both a funny look before the trio stood up. He looked at Edd and couldn't help but smile himself. The dork's cheeks were almost as red as his poor nose and the reindeer antlers were hanging crooked on his head. _He's adorable. No, he's aDORKable._ Kevin grinned at Double D and straightened the headband for him. "I can't believe you're still wearing this thing. I wouldda tossed it in the trash first chance I got. Though I doubt anyone could pull off jingle bell antlers and a ruby nose the way you can, dude."

"Thank you, Kevin. It's not really my usual style," Eddward said with a grin when the three of them stopped laughing at Kevin's comment. "But I just could not take it off because Ed would have been terribly upset. I did not want to hurt his feelings."

"That's real sweet, Double D!" Nazz said. "Don't ya think so, Kev?" She sent him a sly smirk when he glared at her for putting him on the spot. She knew Kevin well enough to see there was something going on here that he wouldn't admit; probably not even to himself. Nazz had no problem giving them a little push.

"Uh, yeah sure, sweet," Kevin fidgeted and cleared his throat. "Anyway, I gotta get to practice. See ya guys later." Kevin left quickly. _What the hell, Nazz. I can't believe she set me up like that. Ughhh! Not that it wasn't sweet but, I shouldn't...I...he's not supposed to…AHH! Shut up, Kevin! _Kevin ran to practice and spent the next few hours working out his embarrassment on the court.

* * *

The rest of the week passed by quickly with little contact between Kevin and Edd; both of them busy setting up the different aspects of the impending tournament. Edd worked with the Principal and Librarian. Kevin was organizing who would be playing on the Peach Creak team and Nat was handling all the contact with Lemon Brook's players. Everything seemed to be in order.

On Friday morning, Nat cornered Edd at his locker. "Hey, Double Dazzling, you all set for tonight?" He laughed at the expected blush he received. He just couldn't get enough of the pink cheeks and gap-tooth smile. _Kevin better make a move soon or Edd's fair game. And I love a good game, especially one this cute. _"I see you've gotten rid of the cold. Got tired of being Rudolph, huh?"

"Greetings, Nathan." Edd said, closing the door of his locker. He turned to the other boy, glancing around for any sign of Kevin as he did so. "Yes, I am fully prepared for this evening and yes, I have entirely recovered from my cold. Just in time, you might say." He smiled at his little attempt at humor, knowing it was a lame attempt.

"Awesome. Hey look, Kevin and I are going to grab a quick bite to eat after school, ya know, before we head back here to set up. Wanna join?" Nat couldn't help but wriggle his eyebrows as his tone made the offer sound a bit suggestive. He laughed outright when Edd blushed again.

"Um, I suppose t-that would be n-nice." Eddward cringed at the stutter that he couldn't seem to control when he was nervous. It was something he really hated about himself. He lifted his hand to his hat to fidget with it to hide his embarrassment. "Well, we better be g-getting to class, before we become l-late."

Nat chuckled. "Sure, man. We'll meet up here after class since you and Kevin will be here anyway. Catch ya later." He gave Edd a double thumbs up before sauntering off down the hall whistling a lively tune. Eddward watched him for a minute before returning his attention to his books. He didn't see Eddy walk up behind him until the shorter friend poked him in the ribs to scare him.

"Good heavens, man! How many times have I asked you not to do that to me, Eddy?" Double D complained as he rubbed his now sore ribs. Eddy just ignored him as usual and started talking about some plans he had for the Ed trio to do tonight. Eddward had to interrupt him to remind him about his previous engagement for the evening.

"Oh yeah, I forgot they talked you into playing babysitter for that stupid tournament thingy," Eddy grumbled looking put out. "Man, I can't believe you're actually gonna do something for them. It sucks. Now what am I gonna do all night?"

"Why not just spend some one on one time with Ed? I'm sure he would appreciate it," Double D said. Eddy was already rolling his eyes and shaking his head before he even finished the suggestion. "Or you and Ed could come to watch the tournament tonight. I know there will be several other spectators there as well."

"What? Why would I want to come and watch the stupid…" Eddy stopped mid-sentence. He narrowed his eyes in thought and after a moment a familiar gleam entered his eyes. Edd groaned, knowing this was Eddy's money making idea look. He already regretted proposing that Eddy and Ed come tonight. He knew he was in for it when Eddy said, "Yeah, sure ok. We'll be there. There's gotta be a way to make cash at a tournament. I'll be rolling in the dough in no time." Eddy snickered, rubbing his hands together before walking away with a quick, "See ya later, Double D," tossed over his shoulder.

Eddward sighed banging his head lightly off his locker. Well there was nothing he could do about it now. Hopefully he could find a way to stifle Eddy's schemes before they caused problems for Kevin and the others. He would think about it later, right now he had to get to class.

* * *

Edd's mind was full of his calculus problems as he walked to his locker at the end of the day and not on his surroundings; so it took Kevin a few tries to get his attention. Edd jumped when a hand was waved in front of his face, bringing him back to earth. He eyes followed the line of the arm up to Kevin's grinning face. He blushed realizing he had been off in his own world again.

"Oh dear, I do apologize, Kevin." Edd muttered as he fiddled with his hat feeling awkward. "Sometimes I become so immersed in my work that I don't pay enough attention to what is going on around me." He offered the jock a small smile.

Kevin snickered. "No problem, dude. So Nat invited you to eat with us, right? How does Peach Creak Pizza House sound?" It was the best local pizza place around and it was cheap, too. He and Nat were regulars there. He looked down to see Double D chewing on his lower lip, a mental debate clearly seen in his aqua eyes. "What? You don't like Pizza?"

"What? Oh no, pizza is fine. I have just never been to that restaurant and am not sure if it is up on the sanitary standards required-"

"My god, Double Dork, chill out." Kevin said rolling his eyes. He laughed at the slightly offended look on the smaller teen's face. "It's cool, I swear. I eat there all the time and I've never got sick. Okay?" He smirked at Edd's look of doubt and without thinking; reached out his hand to smooth the tiny frown forming between those pretty eyes. He subconsciously wanted to know if that pale skin was as soft as it looked. It was. Kevin let his finger trail down that pert little nose to the lip that was still caught in Edd's teeth.

Eddward blinked at Kevin; unsure of how to react to the tender, intimate touch; though it felt so nice he didn't want it to end. So he let Kevin gently pry his lip out of his teeth, watching those jade eyes darken slightly. His breath caught as Kevin began to lean in slightly. _Is he going to kiss me?_

_What am I doing?_ Kevin thought as he slowly bent his head. There was no denying his desire to kiss the boy before him, but he knew this was definitely not a good place to do so. It was like they were both in some kind of trance, both being pulled towards the other like magnets. Kevin watched Eddward's eyes slowly close in acceptance and felt a thrill shoot through him. _He wants me! Yes! _

But just as Kevin was about to close the rest of the distance between them, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye. _Nat's coming! Crap! What do I do?_ Kevin panicked. He did the first thing that came to mind; He lightly flicked Edd on the nose before pulling back and saying, "Pizza's not gonna kill ya, okay?"

Edd opened his eyes in surprise. He blushed deeply and stared down at the floor, thinking he probably read the moment wrong. _Of course, I did. Kevin would never want to kiss me. What was I thinking?_ Kevin cleared his throat wanting Double D to look at him. When Edd finally looked up to meet Kevin's green eyes, he saw the slight apologetic look in them and that he was also blushing before he glanced to their right. Double D looked that way as well and saw Nathan stop beside them with a brow raised and wearing a little grin.

"Did I miss something?" Nat asked looking from on pink face to the other. He had seen the near-kiss and was both happy and a little envious. He knew the moment had been more about magnetic impulse than acceptance of their attraction but it was a step in the right direction.

"Uh, no. We were just talking about getting pizza. Right, Edd?" Kevin said shuffling his feet. He wrenched open his locker and yanked out his jacket and threw it on quickly, knocking his cap askew. He grumbled as he took it off and ran a hand through his messy red hair before he put it back on again. He turned around to see Edd struggling with his coat sleeve. "Again?" he laughed.

Eddward blushed and smiled as Kevin helped him with his jacket again. "Thank you, Kevin. Well, shall we be off?" Kevin and Nat grunted in agreement and the three of them headed out together. Edd just hoped that they could get through the meal and the rest of the night without there being any more awkward moments. It wasn't likely, considering his friends were going to be at the tournament tonight…but he could hope right?


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nor do i own Nat Goldberg, he belongs to C1ndy1c2d. **

**I want to thank everyone for reading my story! I hope you all like it and review. I love reading them, i literally *squee* with joy lol i'm suck a dork. =) **

Chapter 4

The pizza dinner went well. The three boys spent most of it hashing out how they were going to handle running the tournament. Kevin was a bit apprehensive when Double D hesitantly mentioned he had invited Ed and Eddy but he eventually shrugged it off saying they had better behave themselves or else. He failed to mention what the "or else" would be but Edd wasn't too worried.

They didn't linger over the pizza, anxious to get back and make sure everything was ready to go. There was still almost an hour left before everyone was due to arrive but Kevin wanted everything prepared before then. When they entered the library, Kevin and Nat were all set to move things around but found it already done. They turned to look at Eddward in surprise. The smaller teen shrugged with a small smile and said, "I had it all done yesterday. I wanted everything to be perfect for your games. I hope the furniture arrangement it to your satisfaction. If it isn't then please, feel free to change anything you'd like."

Kevin looked around the library to take in the changes. The front still looked the same, with the book shelves and front desk in their original places but the back area was completely different. The desks and study areas were gone and in their places were several sofas and tables, all facing the televisions. It looked like a mini-home theater. He shook his head in amazement. _Edd really is something. It's like he can do anything._

"Looks great," Kevin praised. Edd rewarded him with a cute little gap-tooth smile that made the redhead's stomach feel like it was tied up in knots. He cleared his throat and wandered over to the seating area. "So where'd the couches come from, anyway?"

"Hmm? Oh, I asked Mr. Maddox about seating and he offered us the couches from the teacher's lounge. We just need to make sure nothing becomes damaged and they are returned back where they belong as soon as possible. I also have the list of regulations that all guests need to be aware of once they arrive. Would either of you gentlemen like to do the honors; or would you prefer that I recite them?"

"Damn, I don't think I'll ever get used to the way you talk, dude." Nat said with a chuckle. "I always feel like a bumbling caveman when I hear your perfect diction. HA! I _totally_ wanna see the looks on the idiots form Lemon Brook's faces when they tryin' to figure out what you're sayin'. You _so_ gotta read them!" Nat and Kevin snickered together while Edd just looked puzzled.

He shrugged and left it alone. While the two friends talked about which couch should be for Peach Creek's team, Edward went to the single study-carrel that remained and set his books down. He planned on working on his psychology report while the others were playing the games. It wasn't due for a few months but he liked having things done early. Besides, he loved psychology class; human reactions were fascinating.

"Hey," a voice behind him said making his jump. He turned to see Kevin rubbing his neck grinning ruefully at him. "Sorry, man. Didn't mean to scare ya. I just wanted to say thanks, ya know, for everything. I'm kinda surprised that your helping me out so much, since, well, I kinda was never all that nice to ya when we were younger," Kevin said looking at his shoes. There was a slight blush to his cheeks, Edd noticed.

"It's okay, Kevin." He said quietly. Jade eyes rose to meet his. "It was a long time ago. One could hardly blame you for being frustrated with Eddy's seemingly endless parade of scams. I'm glad we have all moved past that stage of our lives…well almost all of us. Eddy can still be a tad bit trying at times," Double D said meekly. Aqua eyes met emerald as they grinned at each other.

"I'll say," Kevin said laughing softly. "Ya know, I always thought you weren't as annoying as the other dorks. It's been cool, spending time with you. Um...I…" Kevin sighed, frustrated with himself for not knowing what he really wanted to say. _Okay, well, I kinda know, but it's …ugh Stop being lame, Kevin. Man up and say something already, he's looking at you funny._ He cleared his throat again. "I…um…It'd be cool to hang out more…if- if ya wanna."

Edd smiled happily. He hadn't been sure if this recent friendship between Kevin and himself was just a temporary situation in order for the tournament to be successful or not. He didn't want to offend the redhead by questioning him about it, so he refrained from making any inquiries on the subject. With his attention on his thoughts, it took him a minute to realize Kevin was waiting for an answer.

"Yes! Yes, of course, I would very much like to continue our friendship!" Double D blushed hoping he didn't sound overly enthusiastic. But the jock just grinned at him before reaching up to give him another light flick on the nose. The moment was broken, however, by a loud whistle.

"Hey, lovebirds, people are starting to arrive," Nat said from the doorway. He snickered at their shared blushes.

* * *

"All right, ladies and gentlemen," Eddward said, addressing the 25 people who had come to either play in the video game tournament or merely to watch. "For those of you, who do not know me, my name is Eddward and it is my job to welcome you to Peach Creek High School and to the tournament itself. There are several regulations you need to be aware of before the tournament may begin."

There was a chorus of groans and more than a few eye rolls in the crowd as Double D shuffled his notes around in order to find the right page. A smart-aleck from Lemon Brook even started humming the theme song from Jeopardy until Kevin and Nat sent some very nasty glares his way. Eddward made a slight "A-ha!" sound as he apparently found what he was looking for. He cleared his throat slightly before he began reading the list.

"Rule #1: Everyone in attendance must promptly sign confirmation on the document provided when making an entrance and/or departure from the designated tournament location. Rule #2: No intake of any provisions; be it of the solid or liquid variety is allowed in the Library, at any time. Rule #3: There is to be absolutely no roughhousing while on Peach Creek High property and any violation of this rule will result in immediate contact to the local law enforcement and the removal of any individuals involved in said confrontation. Rule #4: All furnishings in this school are the property of Peach Creek High and are to remain in the undamaged state in which it is currently found. Any and all destruction to Peach Creek High's material goods will result in the school board's choice of either a monetary fine or working mandatory community service hours until the price of said assets have been paid in full. There will be no exceptions."

Double D looked up with a bright smile on his face as he finished reading. "There now, as long as there are no transgressions, I believe this competition should be a rounding success!" His smile slowly faded as he looked around and took in the slightly dazed faces of his audience. They were all staring at him like he had spoken a different language. He looked to Kevin in confusion. The redheaded jock was silently laughing with Nat at the befuddled faces surrounding him.

There was a long moment of silence before someone in the crowd said, "Does anyone have any idea what the hell he just said?" Edd blushed scarlet. Kevin's laughter was no longer quiet as he walked to the front to stand next to the blushing genius. He punched Double D lightly on the shoulder before he addressed everyone else.

"Yeah, he said: sign the paper when you come and go, no food or drinks, no fighting unless ya want the boot and last but not least, ya break it; ya bought it." He ticked off each rule on his fingers as he spoke, a huge grin plastered to his handsome face. "Everyone get it? Good. Let's get this shit started!"

"YEAH!" Everyone shouted. Kevin winked at the blushing Edd before he sauntered over to join the conversation about placing wagers.

* * *

A loud groan caused Eddward to jump slightly as he took a short pause in his work. _The tournament seems to be going well. I wonder who is winning._ Edd decided to stretch his muscles a bit and check out the action. He stood up and wondered over to the viewing area. He was surprised to see that Ed and Eddy were among Peach Creek's team members, though it looked like they had both lost. Now, his two friends were cheering on the current players.

The Lemon Brook team consisted of mostly buff, athletic types. They played the video game with the same fierce concentration that they devoted to their collective sports. Edd noticed a man standing off to the side of the room. He was watching the teams playing with a smug grin on his intellectual face. This must be the game's creator. Eddward didn't like the haughty look on his face, like he was positive no one would be able to master the intricate components of his game. Double D decided someone needed to take that man down a peg or two.

He turned his attention to the screen. He watched the game play closely. Both teams seemed to be having the same problems with the higher level "battles" and a lot of issues finding their way through the labyrinth of pathways they were required to follow to beat the different levels. While observing the complications of the different path choices, the teenaged genius became aware of patterns that no one else appeared to take in. The deeper into the levels, the more paradigms he saw.

Eddward grinned. Even though he was unable to see the higher levels and the final boss because neither team had been able to make it to that far, he was certain he could defeat the game. The outlines were quite consistent. There was a break coming up in a few minutes, he could talk Kevin about joining then.

"A'ite, people, break time!" Kevin called out. He arched his back and enjoyed the series of pops he felt. He hadn't had his turn at the game yet, choosing to let the others play so he could get a good feel for it. He had some ideas but honestly, he was pretty sure they were doomed. There were so many complicated twists that it really seemed impossible to win. On the bright side, it didn't look like the other team was doing much better.

"Shit, man, we're screwed. This game is crazy," Nat complained as he jumped up and started to pace. "Did you see that friggin boss? And it wasn't even the final boss! Crap, now I wish I didn't bet so much money." He rambled on and on but Kevin ignored him, trying to figure out some way to win…

"Perhaps I may be of assistance?" A familiar voice said behind them. Kevin turned to see a grinning Edd. His heart picked up the pace as he took in the teasing twinkle in those aquamarine eyes. The jock couldn't help but return his grin when the phrase Double D had used occurred to him.

"Oh? And how can you do that?"


	5. Chapter 5

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters from Ed, Edd n Eddy. Nor do i own Nat Goldberg, he belongs to C1ndy1c2d. **

**Ah, the long awaited 5****th**** chapter! Lol it's a bit shorter than the others but hopefully I can make up for it in the next chapter!**

Chapter 5

It took Eddward about fifteen minutes to surpass the highest level any of the other players managed to defeat. It took about twenty minutes for him to be the only person from both teams even still in the running, the Lemon Brook team having exhausted all their resources. Now everyone's eyes were glued to the dork's screen.

* * *

"How the hell are you doing this?" questioned Kevin, watching in awe as Double D beat yet another level without losing even one life. "You're blowing through this game like its nothing. And you haven't had to fight nearly as many henchmen as everyone else did in the other levels…"

"It is really quite simple, Kevin," Eddward said without stopping his gameplay. "While observing the others play I noticed that the game had quite a few paradigms. There are several paths that all lead to the boss at the end of each level and while each all hold different types of perils for the player there is always one that has less obstacles to overcome. If you follow that path every time then you save on lives." He went on to explain how certain tactics were more effective and some other stuff, using a bunch of big words the jock didn't understand. But Kevin didn't care; they were winning!

There was a loud throat clearing from behind them. "Can you NOT reveal all the secrets of my game?" demanded the ticked off looking game-maker. Kevin frowned as he looked the dude over. Slicked-back dirty blond hair, a snotty expression, and a medium build dressed far too formally for a small high-school competition. Kevin already didn't like him.

"I don't think you have anything to worry about, dude. It's not like anyone could actually understand half of what Double Delight said anyway," said Nat, throwing his arm around the guy's shoulder. The "Snob" as Kevin mentally dubbed him, made a disgusted face and shrugged the arm away. He crossed his arms and glared at them. Kevin had to cover his laugh as Nat made a rude gesture behind the guy's back. They all turned back to watch Double D annihilate the second to last boss with relative ease.

Everyone watched with baited breath as the genius boy started on the last level.

* * *

_Left at the barricade; slow creep down the hall, keeping low and to the left, run and jump over the fallen bodies (_so morbid, Edd thought_) shoot out the video cameras and keep an eye out for the hash marked pathway. _

So far this final level was a dozy. The patterns Eddward followed in the previous chapters were altered in this installment. He had already lost two of his six lives. This level had twice the number of pathways and complications, not to mention a much larger amount of henchmen hiding around nearly every corner. Edd eliminated four out of the eight pathways and was cautiously working his way to the next crossroad.

_Almost there…turn right and duck down, quick scout to see if how many gunners are hiding behind the crates; two…three…hmm…ah another three hiding in the far right_ (Edd bit his lip in concentration._) Take out the guards and pick up their spare weapons. Exit through back door. And now…simply pick the right path._

Eddward examined each choice closely. There has to be some kind of clue as to the right path. He looked at everything, from the number of visible hurdles to the small patterns on the floor tiles. It took him 3 thorough studies before he finally saw it. There was a tiny blue X on the ceiling of in the third pathway. "Yes!" whispered the raven haired boy, before he lead his character down the correct passage. Ten more minutes to get through the maze, fight off the minions and dodge traps before he finally made it to the Final Boss. _Here we go_, thought literally everyone in the library.

_Alright, allow boss to make the first few moves while staying out of the range of fire. This way you can get a good idea of how it moves, what attacks it has and what weak spots there might be in its armor. Oh, oh crap, avoid the guns hidden in the walls as well! Not paying enough attention to the surrounding area almost lost him another life. Focus, Eddward. The armor is weakest around the neck and under the arms, focus your aim there. The Boss mainly uses fire and electric type attacks which means water should work best. There is a several second delay after a power attack; that is the best time to fire shots of your own…._

The audience let out a grown as The Final Boss hit Eddward with an attack powerful enough to kill him. He only had three lives lift. Edd shushed them, he needed to concentrate. He looked away from the screen for a moment when he felt something on his shoulder. It was Kevin's hand. "You can do it, dork," Kevin whispered. Double D felt warmth blossom in his chest at the jock's vote of confidence. He turned back to the game with new vigor.

_Boss throws a fire ball, duck. Shoot a water blast at weak point beneath left arm. Dodge gunfire. Sidestep bolts of electricity. Send another Blast, this time at the right arm. Oooh, he's stumbling, gives me more time to shoot again; aim for the neck! Duck fire ball, shoot, dodge, shoot, sidestep, shoot. Yes! Left arm is out of commission! (_CHEERS in the background_) Keep going, keep going! Target the right arm now! Several more evasions and blasts later and the right arm was history! (_More cheers_) So close to the end! _

"Good Lord!" shouted Double D as the Boss seemed to have a conniption. Its head turned around on its shoulders a full 360% before it opened its mouth and let out a horrible scream and fire, lightning, and acid spewed from its mouth. The attack hit Eddward's character and knocked out more than half of his HP points. He could not afford to take another hit like that again. _Think, Eddward, Think_! AH HA!

_Run around and get behind the boss, make sure to avoid gunfire. Alright, hide under the balcony and switch to the most powerful weapon, the Ice Ray. Fully charge it. Wait for the right moment to run back out…wait for it…the timing has got to be perfect; just as it's about to fire. It's do or die…_

Eddward held his breath as he charged around to the front of the Creature just as it opened its mouth and prepared to fire again. Edd waited until the exact moment the fire bubbled up the throat and then he fired his weapon at full power. Everyone froze, waiting. The Boss stumbled…groaned…wobbled…and finally crashed to the ground, dead. Eddward released the breath he was holding and broke the trance everyone was in. The whole room burst into shouts and applause. Even the loosing players from Lemon Brook were celebrating!

Kevin whooped and picked Double D up in the air and twirled him around! Both boys laughed ecstatically. Nat jumped onto Kevin's back, causing him to tumble to the floor still holding the dork. They heard Ed shout, "DOG PILE!" and were then crushed by the whole Peach Creek team. Kevin did his best to keep the small boy under him from getting flattened and yelled at everyone to get off.

Eddward looked up into Kevin's eyes and smiled his brightest smile and Kevin couldn't hold back his answering grin. The jock reached up and flicked Edd on the nose one more time and softly said, "You're awesome, man."


End file.
